Conjugated polymers have been the subject of many, studies because of their widespread applications in electronic and optoelectronic devices. Poly(p-phenylene vinylene) is a leading semiconducting polymer in optical applications. This work is focused on the development of thin films of poly(p-phenylene vinylene) by spin coating and their characterization with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy to understand their changes. An empirical model has been developed to show the. effect of die variables-the spin speed, polymer concentration, and spin time-on the film thickness. (c) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 111: 1917-1922, 2009